waste. >> as much that's speculative and in our view premature about the complaint considering the provision that new york is asking this court to use as a vehicle for undoing this entire statutory scheme. >> the state of new york and others versus the united states and others. saturday at 6:00 p.m. eastern on c-span radio it's 6:30 here in washington d.c. polls closing in parts of alabama and mississippi within the next half-hour. across both states at 8:00 p.m. eastern time and polling taking place in hawaii. key primaries in the deep south and expectations that it could potentially according to cnn deep six. that's the headline. it may result in at least one candidate getting out of the race, at least that's the theory

at this hour. the republican candidates campaigning across the south and downplaying expectations as voters in alabama and mississippi vote today. an indication of how tight these two primaries are in the importance of momentum in the long road to the convention in tampa. wolf blitzer on cnn questioning mitt romney on the campaign trail and a question about a new super pac ad by rick santorum's supporters. here's mitt romney's response. >> well, you know, it's been interesting that facts check has looked at rick santorum's claims over the last several ads and the things that he said and in almost every case it said that santorum's attacks have been baseless and wrong. they gave him four pinocchios or something like that. obviously, we left massachusetts

with over $2 trillion rainy day fund and a balanced budget. so i'm afraid his conclusions are exactly wrong. but you know, senator santorum is at the desperate end of his campaign and is trying in some way to boost his prospects and frankly misrepresenting the truth. >> why do you think he's at the desperate end of his campaign? >> well, i mean he's far behind in the delegate count. he's far behind in the popular vote count. if you look at the math of how many delegates that he would have to win to become the nominee it's a very difficult road for him. at this stage, he's looking for some way to try to gain ground. i understand that. i would hope that you would use truth as one of the pillars of your strategy. a opposed to coming up with one attack after another. >> mitt romney appearing on cnn

within the last hour and cnn.com reporting on the results tonight in alabama and mississippi, meanwhile rick santorum appearing on the glenn beck radio show saying that quote, it would be great if newt gingrich would bow out so he could run against mitt romney. how can mitt romney beat barack obama? when on the vital decisions they're not that different. increased spending. increased state taxes. who can win? rick santorum. the principal leader who's fought against big government with a bold plan to create jobs and cut wasteful spending. rick santorum for president. red, white and blue fund is responsible for the content of this ad. >> it's super pac supporting

rick santorum. let's turn our attention to mitt romney and newt gingrich. barack obama and his liberal allies attacked mitt romney, why? obama knows that he'll beat rick santorum, santorum said that he's the principal conservative, but that's not how he voted. here are santorum's own words on voting to fund planned parenthood. >> even though i don't support it, that i voted for bills that included >> it 20 years in washington changed santorum's principles. now those ads could play anywhere in the country, be you the gingrich campaign a very local flavor with this radio spot now on the air in alabama. >> alabama, look, they keep trying to shove a trial lawyer from pennsylvania into liberal governor from massachusetts down

our throat. we aren't bielg what they're selling and we don't get what they keep telling us. what they don't get is us. we want to beat barack obama. we want america back, strong and sane. we want to drill here, now, we don't apologize to terrorists and we're tired of playing games. we need a president with a backbone. america needs newt gingrich to beat barack obama. on tuesday make the media eats their words. elect a man who speaks the same in mobile as he does in manhattan. let them get it. the south stands for newt. alabama knows how to win back america. it's called voting for newt gingrich. >> paid for winning our future. >> you can follow this presidential race on our site for politics, cspan.ocspan.org. beginning in about 25 minutes on

the radio, the results program courtesy of politico and politico.com. expectations for mississippi and alabama tonight, what are they? >> the polling that's been done is fascinating. if you factor in a. margin of error, it's a tie between the big three in both states. nobody thought that these two states would be this close and this important. once again n the story of this campaign, you have a very sort of wounded wobbly mitt romney benefiting tremendously from the fact that there's two very conservative guys still in the race, dividing the vote, basically you have the gingrich and the santorum forces, the social conservative split between the two of them beneficial to mitt romney the front-runner. the latest cbs news "new york times" poll showing that the president's overall

popularity is on the decline as gas prices continuing to rise. what does this mean for the president and the democrats? >> i'm going to say the same thing that i have been saying for about two years and i don't think that it will change before election day, president obama and democrats should be nervous about this election regardless who republicans nominate and the reason is, that independent voters have been skeptical of this presidency dating back to the early summer of 2009 when they started to talk about health care reform, ever since that day, ever since that part of the season, independents started to feel that president obama was going too big too fast with the size of government and they turned against him in pretty big numbers, but that hasn't changed that much when you look at the span of time, there are moments where it goes up and it goes down. it's basically the line from two years through today, shows that independents are skeptical that president obama has a lot of

work to do to convince him that he's a moderate governing force and that he's not intent on growing government more. >> we simulcast politico's results of the primaries tonight. this is washington today. speaking of politico, a hearing today which sparks flew at a congressional hearing the topic freedom of information act as leaders of the senate cjudiciar committee. the chair of the senate c judiciary committee, according to politico, they went on a

warpath. saying that her proposals for legislative change was more than a year ago. the explanation for why the delay is happening did not satisfy either senator leahy or senator grassley. here's more from earlier today. all of this from today's senate judiciary committee hearse. >> as you mentioned, the case, what guidance is doj giving to agencies about how they should respond, how they should treat the requests seeking critical infrastructure information? >> in the wake of the supreme court's decision we issued

extensive guidance to agencies to help walk them through the changed landscape that occurred as a result of the supreme court's decision. first of all, we had to explain what exemption to -- what was left of the exemption and what would fit within it. but, pretty matically, agencies really have two alternatives to see if other exemptions will safeguard the information and that's certainly an option that was discussed and contemplated in the case itself -- >> of course, the national defense act, we tried to put a very narrow exception -- >> exactly. and the other alternative, if existing exemptions don't cover the information, let me actually

first say, as part of our guidance, we instructed agencies to first consider whether or not that the information needed to be protected. we always make sure that we use that as our starting point before we get to the point of protection. if existing -- >> easily used before. >> right now, though the alternatives would be using other exceptions or seeking relief through specific statutory -- >> how do you see agencies handling these requests? are they following the decision? >> they are. they're using lang wang that the supreme court used to suggest

that they look for other exceptions and in some cases that certainly does work. but it doesn't work in all cases. for example, 7, records or information compiled for law enforcement information certainly could comply to certain sensitive information as it relates to security measures or preventing crime. but exemption 7 is not available to all agencies. similarly exemption 1 would not be a good choice. certainly some agencies don't have classification authority nor as this committee has recognized is expanding the universe of classified information something that we want to see. >> and also, back in 2007, senator cornyn and i authored the act to strengthen and in it we have the office of government

information service regularly reporting to congress on recommendations to improve compliance within the government. we haven't seen those reports. what's the current status of the reports that the law requires? >> let me distinguish between reporting on our activity which with have done and we have made public. >> i'm talking about the report that's required to be made to congress on recommendation approval on compliance within the government. >> yes, mr. chairman, as to recommendations which we have put through the process for review with omb, we -- >> when did you put it through the process to be reviewed? >> well the first set of recommendations were -- were given just a little over a year ago, those did get held up, i'm

not sure that i can explain why, but, i can tell you that we are working with omb now to get those process going again. >> we haven't received them yet. the law requires us to receive them, when will we receive them? >> i hope that you will receive something very shortly, however i will tell you that, we are working with omb activity to see whether or not some of the suggestions that we had might be able to be addressed administratively without asking congress to make any legislative changes. >> from capitol hill earlier today, questioning by senator patrick leany who is the chair of the senate judiciary committee. compel the government to turn over federal records for zero or little cost. anyone who seeks information under the freedom of information about is supposed to get it unless disclosures will hurt the

natch natural security. the reference was to greg millner n 2003, the types and amounts of explosives stored at the a facility where he lived. he wanted to know whether his neighbors were at risk of being blown up. the u.s. military is going to be building a base for the dominican navy on a small isl d islands consisting of a barracks and a reinstructed pier. this project is coming at the behest of dominican authorities that have witnessed an increase of drug trafficking. it's viewed by pentagon of taking a regional approach of catching some of these drug shipments.

senator jack reid questioned general douglas frazier, this before the senate armed services committee on capitol hill. >> -- capacity particularly, maritime capacity in your area of operations, one aspect there are reports frequently of s submarines being used to transport narcotics. is that an emerging problem that complicates further your ability to intercept these vessels with the maritime in the air? >> senator, it remains a concern and for the first time this year we saw semisubmersible vessels. use of those vessels continues to expand within that the organization. as i look at the problem it's not just a maritime problem

because they're built in the jungles in colombia, they acquire those assets and they're commercially available assets and they arrive somewhere off the coast of south america. it's a very expensive proposition to find them, detect them as they work through the maritime environment. we're working the entire connection. and i think in and our focus is on where they are built and where they arrive to address the problem with trying to detect them and then intercept them when we do them in the maritime environment. >> i presume that this is a collaborative effort with the host countries if you will, that aren't doing with their permission, they're doing knit colombia and other places. >> yes, senator, it's a great collaboration, we rely primarily

on law enforcement cop ration. their law enforcement capacity take action to address this issue on this territory. >> and you know, one of the consequences of our act of commitment and other theories, particularly centcom is overhead and other factors, do you think you have adequate support in this area to, you know, to pursue these construction projects in the jungles and pinpoint them early on, or is that a deficiency? >> senator, i think i have adequate assets. we're looking at capacity that can look through triple canopy jungle, that's a capacity that we're working on and testing today. there are test programs under way to build that capacity.

so i'm comfortable, senator. >> general, can you comment on the soon to be expansion of the panama canal in terms of your operations, just in general, i think 2014 they're scheduled to begin on with the new canal, which would be a huge, huge change to sea borne transportation, do you have any specific insights? >> senator, you're correct. 2014 is the scheduled time line and the panama canal, very focused on achieving that goal. it will change the amount of commercial activity that comes through the panama canal, we on an yal basis conduct an exercise, an international exercise, 18 nations particip e

participated last year. we'll continue those efforts in the future as we year. we will continue those efforts as we look at the expansion as it happens in panama. i don't see a direct change with the threat or the concerns as we look into the future. but our panamax exercise will remain critical to that effort. >> the general douglas fraser testified earlier today with questions from senator reed of rhode island. south com received 1,700 metric meters of cocaine. that's a study based on according to the united nations, the military aid in the americas is targeting mexico and colombia. as you heard that exchange before the committee, the u.s.

military working with the dominican republic to build a facility to keep track of the drugs leaving the dominican republic and coming here to the u.s. you can read more by logging on to the christian science monitor which is keeping track of the story. u.s. officials say probable cause has been found in the suspected soldier who has not yet been named has been accused of leaving the u.s. base on saturday evening and gunning down afghan civilians, including nine children and three women. leon panetta saying the soldier to face capital punishment. there was a trade dispute with china. he started his comments in the white house. >> before i make an announcement

about our efforts to stand up for u.s. businesses and workers, i would like to say a few words about the situation in afghanistan. over the weekend, as you know, there was a tragic incident where a number of afghan civilians were killed. what i made to president karzai when i spoke to him, the united states takes this seriously as if this was our own citizens and our own children who were murdered. we're heart broken over the loss of innocent life. the killing of afghans is not who we are as a country. it does not represent our military. for that reason, i directed the pentagon to make sure we spare no effort in conducting a full investigation. i can assure the american people and the afghan people that we will follow the facts wherever

they lead us. we will assure anybody involved is held fully accountable with the full force of the law. yesterday, i met with general allen and ambassador croker who were in washington. i have confidence in them and the many americans who are serving in afghanistan and who have made extraordinary sacrifices to be there. i will be meeting with prime minister cameron who is part of our coalition serving in afghanistan. we will have a way to prepare forward as we prepare for the nato summit this spring. make no mistake. we have a strategy to wind down this war. we are transitioning to the afghans who are moving into the lead. that will allow us to bring our troops home. already, we are scheduled to remove 23,000 troops by the end

of the summer following the 10,000 that we withdrew last year. meanwhile, we will continue the work of devastating al qaeda's leadership and denying them a safe haven. there is no question we face a difficult challenge in afghanistan. i'm confident we can continue meeting the work of our objectives and protecting our country and responsibly bringing this war to a close. now one of the things i talked about in the state of the union address is making america more competitive in the global economy. we have the best workers and the best businesses in the world. they turn out the best products and when the playing field is level, they will always be able to compete and succeed against every other country on earth. the key is to make sure the playing field is level. frankly, sometimes it's not.

i will always try to work our differences through with other countries. we prefer dialogue. that is especially true when it comes to key trading partners like china. we have a constructive economic relationship with china. whenever possible, we are committed to working with them to addressing our concerns. but when it is necessary, i will take action if our workers and our businesses are being subjected to unfair practices. since i took office, we've brought trade cases against china at nearly twice the rate as the last administration. and these actions are making a difference. for example, we halted an unfair surge in chinese tires, which has helped put over 1,000 american workers back on the job. but we haven't stopped there. two weeks ago, i created a trade enforcement union to

aggressively investigate any unfair trade practices taking place anywhere in the world. as they ramp up their efforts, our competitors should be on notice. you will not get away with skirting the rules. when we can, we will rally support from our allies. when it makes sense to act on our own, we will. i just signed a bill to help american companies that are facing unfair foreign competition. these companies employ tens of thousands of americans in nearly 40 states. because of subsidies of foreign governments, some foreign governments are selling products at an artificially low price. that needs to stop. we are taking an additional step forward. we are bringing a new trade case against china. we are being joined by japan and some european allies. this is rare earth manufacturers like an advanced batteries that power hybrid cars to cell

phones. we want our companies building those products right here in america, but to do that, american manufacturers need to have access to rare earth materials, which china supplies. if china would simply let the market work on its own, we would have no objections. their policies go against the very rules that china agreed to follow. being able to manufacture advanced batteries and hybrid cars in america is too important for us to stand by and do nothing. we have to take control of our energy future and we cannot let that energy industry take root in some other countries because they were allowed to break the rules. our administration will bring this case against china today. we will keep working every single day to give american workers and american businesses a fair shot in the global economy. we're going to make sure this isn't a country just known for

what we consume. we need to get back to doing what we do best. a country that sells products all over the world with the proud words "made in america." that is how we create good middle class jobs at home and an economy that is made to last. thank you. >> the president at the white house earlier today. first lady michelle obama traveling to northwest washington at the american university. she used the occasion joined by the wife of the british prime minister to talk about the olympics. the white house announcing that michelle obama will lead the delegation of the summer games held in london. she sets the road by laura bush and hillary clinton. today, d.c. area children on the campus of american university in a mini olympic competition. >> i'm pleased to announce i will lead the presidential

delegation to the opening ceremonies of the 2012 olympic games in london this summer! let me tell you, i'm thrilled to do it. i wasn't sure if they will let me do it. i get to do it. i'm very excited. i know all of you are looking forward to the games this summer, aren't you? >> yes. >> this is why we're here today because the true spirit of the games isn't confined to the two weeks of competition this summer. it is not just about who wins the gold, right? you heard that before. it is not just about who wins the medals. >> right. >> or which country wins the most medals. that is not what the olympics are about. instead, the olympic games are about commitment. all right? it is about determination and, most importantly, it's about teamwork. teamwork. all right? the games are about finding our inner strength.